Scientific Vessel Sts. Cyril and Methodius Returns to Varna, Completing 34th Bulgarian Antarctic E xpedition (PHOTOS)

The research vessel Sts. Cyril and Methodius (NIC 421) has docked at the Sea Station in Varna, marking the successful completion of the 34th Bulgarian Antarctic expedition.

This time, the research focused on ocean currents in the Bransfield Strait between the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula. To this end, specialised equipment was installed on board, including a wave monitoring radar and buoys for analysis.

The route of the research vessel Sts. Cyril and Methodius passed through the Western Mediterranean Sea, the Strait of Messina, the Ionian Sea, south of the Peloponnese Peninsula, the Aegean Sea, the Dardanelles Strait, the Sea of Marmara, the Bosphorus Strait and the Black Sea, thereby concluding this year’s overseas voyage of the vessel in support of the 34th Bulgarian Antarctic expedition.

The vessel departed from the Ice Continent on 17 February. Its last stop was at the Spanish port of Cartagena, from where the crew set sail for Bulgaria on 2 April. In Cartagena, cadets from the Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy, as well as from the naval academies of Romania, Poland and Norway, boarded the vessel to undertake a short-term training voyage from the Spanish port to Varna. The cadets are specialising in ship navigation, ship machinery and mechanisms, and naval communications and radio-technical systems. Safety briefings on the use of individual and collective life-saving equipment were also conducted on board.

The Bulgarian research vessel Sts. Cyril and Methodius (NIC 421) set off on its fourth mission to the Ice Continent on 7 November last year from Varna.

Sources: BTA, BGNES

Photos by BGNES